Georgia football: Aggies, Kellen Mond present defensive challenge for Bulldogs

The Georgia football program has only faced Texas A&M five times in the history of both programs, and this game may be the most meaningful of them all.

Georgia football fans are going to be treated to something most have probably never seen The 9-1 Bulldogs facing 7-3 Texas A&M on Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium. While Georgia wrapped up the SEC East with a big win against Auburn, the game against the Aggies is important for the Dawgs’ playoff aspirations.

The last time Georgia faced Texas A&M in a regular-season game was also the last time Georgia won a national championship in football. On September 13, 1980, the Bulldogs shut out the Aggies 42-0 en route to an undefeated season and a national title.

The Dawgs and Aggies did meet again in the 2009 Independence Bowl, with Georgia coming away with a 44-20 win.

This will be the first meeting between Georgia and Texas A&M since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012, and the implications for the Bulldogs go far beyond that of a filler game between two big rivalries and then into the SEC Championship Game.

Is this a trap game? Not in the strictest sense, as you never want to take any SEC opponent lightly (as Georgia found out against South Carolina), but with the victory over Auburn and an SEC East crown in hand, it would be easy for the Bulldogs to overlook Texas A&M, who is just aching for a signature win this season.

Trip up in this game, and the Bulldogs’ College Football Playoff hopes are dead in the dirt.

But do the Aggies have enough to really pose a threat to the Bulldogs? Short answer…yes. And that something is quarterback Kellen Mond. A mobile quarterback who likes to improvise and can make things happen with his legs. The kind of quarterback who has given Georgia fits in the past with plays precisely like this:

Georgia’s front seven will need to have one of their best games, with at least one linebacker constantly spying Mond to keep him from slipping out of the pocket, away from the rush and making big runs such as this one against Alabama.

Statistically, November is a month when Mond seems to excel every season. His completion percentage, yards per completion, touchdown-to-interception ratio and QBR all improve drastically.

Georgia can’t be lulled to sleep by the Aggies 7-3 record. They may be the best 3-loss team in the nation, and it’s no wonder given their schedule. Texas A&M had to face the murderer’s row of Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Clemson and Georgia this season. No other team in the nation can brag of having to have faced four of the current top five College Football Playoff teams in the regular season.

This can be a dangerous game for the Bulldogs coming off a big emotional road win over a rival. Kirby Smart will need to have a solid game plan and for every player to be 100 percent focused on the Aggies, and not looking ahead to December in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A performance similar to what they turned in against South Carolina will cost the Bulldogs a spot in the playoff.